Dasey One-Shots
by xXxThe Phantom's RosexXx
Summary: A collection of Dasey one-shots.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I've been sick lately and I haven't felt up to doing my chapter story updates. But I do want to keep up with writing so I am doing Dasey onshots that have been requested or that I've thought of myself. Hope you enjoy them. Leave a review and let me know what you think. Also, I do not own Life With Derek.

Dasey One-Shot Collection  
No. 1: "Distance" by Christina Perri  
Lyric Used:  
_And I will make sure to keep my distance_  
_Say, "I love you," when you're not listening_  
_And how long can we keep this up_  
_Please don't stand so close to me, _  
_I'm having trouble breathing_

* * *

Casey McDonald couldn't sleep. The red LED lights of her digital alarm clock read: 2:04am. She would have to be up in a few hours to get ready for school; a thought that made her outwardly groan. She hated nights like these when she couldn't sleep, when the thoughts were too loud to shut them out. All she could think about was the boy sleeping in the room next to hers. They were separated by a single wall. If she listened closely enough, she could hear the low hum of his snoring. Sometimes she could hear him typing at his computer or listening to music. She liked to lie in bed before falling asleep and imagine what he was doing. She wondered if he too was thinking about her?

She knew better than to get her hopes up though. Derek Venturi couldn't stand her. He lived to make her miserable. Each chance he got to do something to ruin her day, he would take. So far, in the short span since their families had moved in together, he had put glue, honey, food coloring, and corn syrup in her shampoo. On top of that, he'd also put itching powder in her sheets, taken all her clothes and makeup, scared off her boyfriends, got her locked in the bathroom, barged in on her while she was in the shower...anything you could imagine; he did it. He lived to make her miserable. Casey often imagined Derek lying in bed at night plotting just what he'd do to her the next day.

But now it was 2:06am and there wasn't a single sound coming from Derek's room. Casey even strained to listen for the slightest of sounds. There was nothing. Sighing, she rolled over and tried to push all thoughts of Derek Venturi out of her head. She knew better than to think of him the way she did. She knew better than to get butterflies when he was next to her. She knew better than to spend a bit extra time on her hair and makeup in the mornings in hopes of grabbing his attention just for a moment. Usually those efforts were met by a, "Who took the dog to the groomer?" Or, "Wow, you don't look quite so much like a homeless, cracked out, bag lady." At least those comments were attention. Even if he meant them spitefully (which Casey was sure he never genuinely did) it was still acknowledgment.

2:10am. Casey sighed again. She hated how he was always on her mind lately. She wondered when that had started exactly. She couldn't quite remember. But she knew better. Derek was a skirt-chasing cad. He had a different girl on his arm every week. His idea of a date was sneaking girls up into his room and coming down with his hair and shirt all messy. He had a habit of calling girls by days of the week instead of by their name. He had a habit for a lot of things. Including making Casey miserable. She had done the unforgivable and had infringed upon his dwelling. He'd never forgive her. Instead, he'd made it his duty to drive her completely crazy - though he would insist that it wasn't a far drive. He was everything Casey didn't like and then some. So why did she like him as much as she did? She knew better. She definitely knew better.

Liking a guy like Derek Venturi meant trouble. Heart ache. Rejection. Pain. Belittlement. Mortification. Liking a guy like Derek Venturi meant impossibilities and wishful thinking and broken hopes. He'd never reciprocate her feelings.

So Casey made it her mission to stay away from him as best she could. Keeping her distance was easier. She vowed to only hold Derek at arm's length and not any closer. She couldn't. Not that he'd even let her to begin with.

After tossing and turning, her alarm finally blared and Casey forced herself to get up and get ready for school. She got her shower, blow-dried her hair, and did her makeup. She made sure to put on a bit of extra eyeliner and actually bothered with the makeup pallet Emily had given her for her birthday. Next, she decided on her outfit of choice. Instinctively she grabbed a black sweater with a silver keyhole in the neckline. She recalled the way Derek's eyes had widened the first time she had worn it last week. Blushing, she threw over a light jacket and headed downstairs. As she took the steps, she reminded herself to keep her distance. That became her motto when dealing with Derek. Don't let yourself get too close. Don't let him get too close.

"Morning, honey," her mom greeted her as she made her way into the kitchen, "Can I fix you some eggs or something?"

"No thanks," Casey smiled, doing her best to ignore Derek's presence, "I'll just have cereal."

"Suit yourself. I'm off to take the kids to school. You two have a good day."

They were alone in the kitchen. Casey poured herself a bowl of Pumpkin Spice granola with cashew milk. She took care to choose a seat at the kitchen island as far away from Derek as possible.

"You were up late last night," Derek shoveled a spoonful of sugary marshmallows into his mouth.

Had he heard her? Had she been a disruption? Casey froze, then quickly recovered, "Yeah. I just had a lot on my mind. Did I keep you up or something?"

Derek shrugged, pushing his bowl back but surprisingly not getting up from the table, "Your night light thing was on when I got up to go to the bathroom."

"Oh."

"Thinking about anything important?"

Casey wished he wasn't so nosy. Why did he care anyway? Casey became suspicious, "Why do you care?" She demanded to know. Derek acting caring always meant he had tricks up his sleeve and she was too tired to deal with any pranks or insults.

Derek shrugged again, "Just wondering. It's a guy, isn't it?"

Casey paled. She felt the blood drain from her face as if someone had pulled out a plug, "Maybe. What's it to you, Derek?"

Again, another shrug, "Nothing really. Just wondering who the poor sap who has to deal with you crushing on him is."

Casey knew there would be an insult in there somewhere. She stood from the island and took her bowl over to the sink to rinse it out. Really, she was buying herself some time. She had no idea how to answer that. Finally, drying her hands on the dish towel, she admitted, "He doesn't like me back anyway so what does it matter?"

Derek got up and carried his bowl over to the sink. Casey froze as he stood next to her, rinsing out the sticky, melted-marshmallow-milk. Didn't he know when he stood that close to her that she couldn't breathe? "Listen up," he said, grabbing her attention, "I don't say things like this to you often - or to anyone for that matter - so pay attention because I'm probably never going to say something like this again. Understand?"

Casey nodded.

"If he doesn't like you back, then he's not the right guy, Spacey. You're a real piece of work, Princess, and you're going to need a guy that can deal with you and all your..." he motioned his hand around his head indicating a few screws loose, "...crazy. So hold out for that guy. The one poor bastard that actually thinks you're worth all the crap you do. Because he's the one that'll be worth it."

Casey was stunned. She had no idea what to say, so Derek filled in the silence for her, "Of course he'll need some training in dealing with wild animals..."

"Der-ek!"

"My point exactly," he grinned, "Spacey?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't stay up thinking about a guy who doesn't like you back. It's useless and dumb."

"Thanks Derek."

"We don't speak of this ever," Derek held up his hands in surrender, "Ever, Casey. Now then, I'll start up the Prince. Be ready to go in five minutes or I'm leaving without you."

* * *

Author's Note: Ahh. My writing ADD is getting the best of me. I have no idea how to end this one shot so it's just going to end there. I am so sorry guys!


	2. Chapter 2

Dasey One-Shot Collection  
No. 2: Candy Corn

* * *

Derek hated candy corn. It tasted like wax to him, but Casey loved the stuff. Which was weird, because usually she shied away from anything sweet and anything artificial. But around Halloween, she went candy corn crazy. She was known for keeping a small baggie of the stuff in her purse to much on a few kernels when her cravings acted up. It was so out of character for her that her whole family would poke fun at her candy corn cravings. But she was adamant, saying, "I can only get this stuff once a year so I might as well enjoy it."

So when Nora sent Derek to the store to pick up rice for dinner one night and by the register, next to the orange plastic pumpkin bucket displace, was candy corn, he grabbed a bag and tossed it on the conveyor belt next to the rice.

When he got home, he handed the bag of rice to Nora and headed upstairs to find Casey. Just as he'd expected, there she was reading on her bed. She had her feet pulled up towards her and the book was resting on her knees. He forced the smile off his face as he barged further in.

"Der-ek!" Casey cried, assuming he was there to cause some sort of torment.

"Here," Derek tossed the little bag of candy corn towards her.

"Candy corn?"

He shrugged, "I saw it at the store and...yeah."

"Thank you," a look of genuine thankfulness crossed Casey's face, "That was really sweet of you."

Derek rolled his eyes, "Don't go getting all mushy on me, Space Case. Just shut up and eat your candy corn."

Casey smiled as he ducked out of her room muttering good-naturedly, "_So_ ungrateful!"


	3. Chapter 3

Dasey One-Shot Collection  
No. 3: Homework

* * *

"Derek, your grades are deplorable," George lectured, waving the report card in his hand around angrily in the air, "Cs and Ds. That's all I am seeing here. Cs and Ds. Coach Samuels contacted me and told me if you don't get your grades up, you're not going to be able to play this season. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes!" Derek shouted in response, "I know what that means! I don't need you telling me what that means!"

George took a step back, dropping the report card on the edge of the dining room table, "And when were you going to tell me about this, huh? We can help you if you just talk to us. If you feel like you're falling behind, we can get you tutoring or something. But this is inexcusable. You know, I get not being good in all subjects. I don't ask that you be an A student in every subject. But I will not stand for grades like these. A C is is okay if you try hard. A D isn't the end of the world if it's just an occasional thing. But all Cs and Ds? Are you even trying?"

"Yes!" Derek shouted and the rest of the family sat in silence. Derek and George had taken their argument from the dining room out into the living room. Nora tried her best to smile and offered if anyone wanted anymore dinner roles. No one did. Casey picked at the napkin in her lap, wishing she could be anywhere but there. She knew Derek had tried. She'd seen him up late studying at the coffee table before major tests. He did try. But it just still wasn't good enough.

"Is Smerek in trouble?" Marti asked innocently.

"No," Nora shook her head, trying her best to smile comfortingly, "We don't punish any of you for grades, ever. Your father is just confused and upset at how Derek's grades could have gotten so bad lately. Derek is not in trouble."

Casey relaxed a bit. When Derek was grounded, he stomped around the house in a sour mood towards everyone. No one was spared from his wrath. At least he wasn't grounded. But it still didn't mean George was going to let up. He did have a point. All Cs and Ds was bad. Really bad. Not even Derek made those grades. Casey scooted the peas around on her plate as she heard the fighting carry on next door.

"What should we do about this, huh?" George demanded, "What's going on, Derek? Are you stressed? Do you need to see someone..."

"Oh yeah, because I'm suddenly crazy or something because my grades dropped," Derek rolled his eyes, not helping his case, "Just drop it."

"Excuse me?"

Casey winced. Why couldn't Derek ever just keep his mouth shut? Didn't he know about tact? He was just going to bury himself deeper and deeper if he kept this up.

"Derek, this is unacceptable. You're going to bring your grades up. You're going to work your butt off to make sure this doesn't happen again - understood? Now, I will try to find a tutor for you. Wait a second...I have an idea..."

"Oh no," Nora winced.

"Casey!" George called, "Come here a second."

"Oh no," it was Casey's turn to wince. She slowly pushed her chair back from the table and made her way out towards the living room, "Yes?"

"How does ten bucks a day sound to you?"

"Oh no," Derek groaned, "Dad, you can't be serious. You wan't Casey to tutor me? Casey!"

Casey felt as though she was stuck. Derek would kill her if she said yes, but then again she didn't want to be on George's bad side either, "Uh...it doesn't sound too bad."

"Good. I want you to work with Derek. Every night, do your homework together at the dining room table. If he has a question about anything, help him. If he needs you to teach him how to solve a problem, teach him. Make sure he stays on top of his work. Do this, and I'll give you ten dollars for every night you work with him. Okay?"

"Uh..." Casey shot Derek a look. He was glaring daggers into her. She winced, "...I guess I could help him."

"Damn it," Derek hissed.

"Excuse me?" George turned on his son, "You better be grateful, mister. We're trying to help you here. We don't want to see you fail and we sure don't want to see you miss out on hockey this year. Got it? And Casey is willing to help you and be there for you. You should be thanking her. After dinner tonight, I want you two to get started. And I better not hear any fighting from you two!"

The rest of the dinner was eaten in silence. No one really knew what to say after that previous display. Casey helped her mother clear the dishes off the table and then began to organize her school supplies on the table. Derek went upstairs to grab his backpack. He tossed it onto the table and groaned.

"I don't want to be doing this," he mumbled.

"And you think I do?" Casey hissed, "George kind of backed me into a corner."

"You could have said no."

"Oh, I'm sure that'd have gone over real well," Casey rolled her eyes, "Let's just do this. What homework do you have tonight?"

Derek pulled out his school books, "History, Math, and English. For History I have to do a vocabulary worksheet. For Math, I have to do problems from the book. English, I have to write a page paper in the stream of unconsciousness."

"Consciousness," Casey corrected, "That's not too bad. We can do this!"

Derek eyed her suspiciously. Casey rolled her eyes, "Don't look at me like that. Why don't you start with the math problems because those are going to be the hardest. What are you learning in math?"

"Algebraic functions."

"Ew," Casey made a face, "Those are gross. But not too painful. It's all about practice. I used to be awful at math and then one day it finally clicked and now I really enjoy it. It's fun to me - like a puzzle. There's always going to be an answer, you just have to search for it. Here, let me see what you're doing."

With Casey's help, most of Derek's homework got done at a reasonably good pace.

"Good job," Casey said encouragingly, "You seem to be doing well to me. What has been the issue with your grades?"

Derek leaned back in his chair, "I just get frustrated with it. It's like I can read something over and over again and know it, and then for like a test or something, it all just disappears."

"Hmm," Casey frowned, "Talk to your teachers. Maybe you can get extended test time or even just taking your test in the front office can help. Sometimes the distractions of a classroom can cause the answers to not come to you right away. Always talk to your teachers though. They're there to help you. If you don't communicate with them, they won't know what the issues are either. They'll be more helpful if you talk with them."

Derek sighed, "I'm sorry you're roped into doing this every night."

"I don't mind," Casey smiled genuinely, "It's kind of nice to have a homework buddy."

"Homework buddy?" Derek made a face, "Ew. I'm not your homework buddy, Spacey."

"Fine," Casey gave in, "But it is nice to have someone to do homework with."

"Yeah," Derek admitted, "It makes it a bit more bearable to do it with someone else. When I'm just in my room working on this stuff on my own, I get so distracted. It's pretty bad."

"I get distracted too sometimes," Casey admitted, "But I am proud of you. You've done well tonight. We're going to get you back on track and we're going to make sure you don't get benched this season - alright?"

"Thanks, Case."

"Don't mention it. Now then, let's get started on that paper..."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I have had no motivation lately so I really apologize for not updating my chapter fics. I will. Please know that. It's just with school and having been sick, I can't focus on those right now. It's easier for me to keep up with my writing by doing little one shots. Thanks for being understanding and thank you for reading and reviewing. I love writing these for you guys!

Dasey One-Shot Collection  
No. 3: They don't know what goes on when the lights go out - The Right Kind of Wrong, Leann Rimes

* * *

Casey waited until the hall light had flicked off and the footsteps descended down the stairs. Their parents were finally going to bed. She laid in bed, watching the minutes tick by on her alarm clock until five minutes had passed. At that five minute mark, she threw off the covers and quietly made her way across her room to her door. She opened it a crack and looked out into the darkness. She could hear Edwin snoring in the room over. There was a hum from the refrigerator downstairs. Casey opened the door wider and stepped out into the hallway.

A floorboard creaked and she winced, pausing in her tracks. After gaining some courage, she made her way over to Derek's room. She quickly ran a hand through her hair, her fingers the teeth of a comb. She took a deep breath and gingerly opened his door a crack. He was lying in bed, a magazine on his lap and the lamp on nightstand on. He smirked as she shut the door behind her and leaned against it.

"I didn't think you would come tonight," he said, closing the magazine and tossing it on the nightstand.

"I didn't think I would either," Casey admitted.

"What I said today at school...it was out of line. Even for me."

Casey nodded, still leaning against the door, "It's what we do though," she sighed, "You act like a jerk to me and I return the favor. We fight, Derek."

"Not like that."

"Not like that," Casey agreed.

"I'm glad you came."

"Me too," Casey nodded, "To be honest," she stepped closer to the bed, "I don't think I could stay away."

Derek's smirk turned into a grin, "What can I say, McDonald? I have a very...uh...magnetic personality."

"Mm," Casey raised an eyebrow.

"So, get over here."


	5. Chapter 5

Dasey One-Shot Collection  
No. 5: The Look

* * *

"Come on, Spacey! It was just a joke," Derek called, jogging after Casey up the stairs.

"I can't believe you! Who does something like that?" Casey screeched, marching towards the bathroom.

"You should have seen your face!" Derek cackled, "Totally worth it. Besides, isn't honey like good for your hair or something like that? So see? I was helping!"

"Not helping!" Casey turned on her heel to face him, "Now I have to get a whole other shower and redo my hair and my makeup and find something else to wear all because you thought it was funny to...ugh!" Casey groaned, heading towards the bathroom.

Derek shrugged, "It's not such a big deal Case."

"Yes it is! I can't believe you! I am going to be so late."

"We both are going to be late, genius. Nora said I had to wait until you got cleaned up to give us both a ride to school. So we're both going to be late. But it was still oh so worth a detention."

Casey scowled, swinging open the bathroom door. Derek followed her inside.

"See, it's mostly just on the top right here," Derek grabbed a strand of her hair.

"Do NOT touch me," Casey slapped violently at his hand.

"Ow," Derek recoiled, "Look, don't get a whole other shower. Just wash your hair in the sink. I'm sure that'll be good enough."

"Wash my hair in the sink?" Casey shouted, "Are you insane? My hair is long, Derek! That'd be such a mess. No way! Now, get out of here so I can get my shower!"

"Are you sure I can't stay and watch?" Derek sat down on the toilet, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms over his chest, "It'll be like I'm not even here."

"Out! Now!"

"Okay, okay," Derek rolled his eyes, standing from the toilet, and headed towards the door, "But if you change your mind..."

'GO!"

As Casey was scrubbing the honey out of her tangled, matted hair, she couldn't help but have to think that Derek did have a point. If the roles were reversed, she was certain she'd find it just as amusing as he did. Besides, the way she had screamed...it must have been pretty entertaining to watch. After she stepped out of the shower and blow-dried her hair, she was starting to find herself softening. She couldn't even remember the last time she had actually genuinely gotten angry with Derek for a prolonged amount of time.

After reapplying her makeup, she headed to her room, wrapped in her towel. Derek was lying on her bed, flipping through the pages of her novel she had been reading.

"Ugh!" Casey grabbed it out of his hands, "Get out of here!"

"I'm comfortable," Derek pouted. He shot Casey a glance - the kind of glance where he peered at her out from under his scraggly bangs. She knew that look well. He was checking to see if she really was genuinely angry, or if she was just playing her roll in everything. Casey sighed and shook her head.

"Out, now!"

Derek's gaze deepened and Casey folded her arms over her chest, "Are you just going to sit there?"

He kept staring.

"Don't you look at me like that!" Casey griped.

"I knew it," Derek grinned, hopping up off her bed, "I knew you couldn't be mad at me forever."

Casey glowered as Derek headed to her door, "Oh and Spacey, be sure to put on some clothes. As much as I don't mind the view, I am sure some people at school, like faculty and staff, wouldn't be too happy if you showed up in just a towel."

Casey gasped, as if being pulled back into reality just as her bedroom door clicked shut.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Also, none of these one-shots realy connect or follow one another. Just lettin' you know :) Also...this one is a bit longer than most one-shots I've done so please enjoy!

Dasey One-Shot Collection  
No. 6: "and he fights  
so you won't ignore him,  
because that's his biggest fear,  
and he cries,  
but you'll rarely see him do it.  
He loves, but he's scared to use it.  
So he hides behind the music, 'cause he likes it that way.  
He knows,  
He's so much more than worthless,  
he needs to find the surface,  
because he's starting to get nervous." - Thousand Foot Krutch.

* * *

"Damn it!" Derek hissed as he paced back and forth around his bedroom. He had been pacing pretty much from the moment he got upstairs to his room, and knew at this rate he'd wear a hole straight through the floor if he kept it up. He knew he had gone too far that afternoon at lunch with what he had said to Casey. He knew it the minute the words spilled out of his mouth and her face got a splotchy red color. She had opened her mouth to say something, and he'd seen her eyes gloss over. She left without coming up with some sort of quip in response. He'd crossed a line.

Since she and her family had moved in, Derek wondered where that line was and just how far he could push it. He'd say the cruelest things and she'd retort with her own insults and banter. Sometimes she'd get mad - like really mad - but that'd only last for a few hours and then she'd be over it. But this was the first time Derek had ever seen her eyes get red-rimmed and tear-filled. It was the first time he'd seen the area around her nose turn red and puffy. Or at least it was the first time he'd seen any of that because of something he had said to her. Now he was joining the list of scum guys that had made Casey McDonald cry. The list of guys whom he wanted to break each of their noses.

"Derek, Casey! Dinner!" Nora called from the bottom of the stairs.

Derek ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He tried his best to compose himself. Maybe Casey had forgiven him - or at the very least had moved on. Maybe he could make some quip about her eating her meal from a dog bowl and she'd tell Nora she'd seen a special for flea collars that might fit him and they would both roll their eyes at each other and everything would be back to normal. She had to forgive him at some point, right?

During dinner, Casey was silent. She would answer questions about her day but in minimal answers. Derek tried to steal glances at her inconspicuously. Clearly she was still upset by what he had said. Her eyes were puffy like they usually got when she cried. He wondered why no one was asking her if she was okay. Surely they all noticed she had been crying. What was wrong with them? Maybe Nora would ask her if she was alright, maybe she'd fix her an extra scoop of ice cream for dessert. But there was nothing. Once Casey had finished picking at the food on her plate, she asked to be excused. Nora nodded and she disappeared upstairs to her room.

Derek thought about knocking on her door and apologizing for what he'd said, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. They went to bed without having spoken to each other since lunch. The next morning, in the car ride to school, Derek even made a bit of an effort. He asked her what radio station she'd like to listen to. Her only response was to stiffen and turn to face out the window. She was completely ignoring him.

Derek felt sick. He hated that Casey was ignoring him. The whole reason he'd fight with her in the first place was to get her attention. At least when they were fighting, he was on her mind in some form or another. But now she wasn't even speaking to him and Derek had no idea how to react to that. He wanted to fix it. He hated Casey not speaking to him. He thought back to all the times he'd told her to shut up. She probably had no idea how much he missed her talking.

"New shampoo?" He asked. Casey made a "humph" sound and Derek continued, "Smells like garbage."

Sure, it wasn't his best but at least it was something. Maybe now she'd say something, even if it was just to yell at him. Still nothing. Instead, Casey said nothing and turned her attention to picking at the skin around her fingernails. Derek decide to give up at least for now. He'd try again later. Maybe she just needed some time. That was it, time. Everything would be back to normal if he'd just give it some time.

That afternoon, there was still no conversation between Derek and Casey. He followed her up the stairs as soon as they got home.

"Case, you gotta talk to me sometime!" He begged.

She didn't say anything. Instead, she just closed her bedroom door. Derek departed into his own room and rubbed his face with his hands. He couldn't believe this was really going on. He had previously thought that he and Casey couldn't go a minute without talking to each other. Now he was starting to realize just how wrong he was in thinking that. He made his way to the wall that separated their bedrooms, and put his forehead against it.

"Case, please talk to me," he begged, his voice barely a whisper. It wasn't until that moment, when he spoke out loud, that he realized his voice had cracked.

* * *

A week had gone by, and Casey and Derek still hadn't spoken to one another. It was driving Derek crazy, and he was wondering how Casey was holding up. She seemed to be doing just fine though, when he saw her in the hallway at school flirting with Max. Derek cringed. He hated Max almost as much as he hated not talking with Casey. He watched from the corner of his eye as Max casually put his arm around Casey's shoulder. She laughed, her head going back slightly. Derek growled under his breath.

"Easy, Killer," Sam patted his shoulder, "What's gotten into you anyway?"

"Casey," Derek grumbled.

"Still fighting?" Even Sam was surprised, "And this is all one big fight?"

"Yeah," Derek swung his backpack onto his shoulder, "She still hasn't spoken to me."

"Ouch," Sam winched, "Well, she seems to be in a good mood today. Since when are she and Max back on anyway?"

"No idea," Derek replied, hating that he had no idea, "Apparently now."

"Does that bother you?"

"Why would that bother me?" Derek bit back. Sam raised his hands in surrender and backed off.

"Sorry, D. Didn't mean to intrude."

At lunch, Casey and Sam were eating together with the rest of the football jerks. Derek glowered over at their table as he picked at his sandwich. Sam thought about saying something, but decided against it.

This went on for another week. Derek was beginning to wonder if Casey would ever speak to him again. Their parents had tried to intervene, telling her that she needed to talk to him sometime, and that forgiveness was the best policy. She only nodded - to appease them - before disappearing back up to her room. She was also spending more and more time with Max. Derek hated that. It seemed like every evening after her homework, she and Max had a date to the movies or for ice cream. By Friday though, things had taken a turn for the worst. Derek had wondered if there would ever, could ever, be a worst. Casey had come home ffrom one of her dates with Max, slamming the door behind her. She ran up the stairs and Derek hopped out of his chair, following close behind.

"Hey!" He called after her, "Hey! What happened?"

Casey didn't say anything. She was crying though, and frantically wiping at the tears on her cheeks.

"Case, talk to me! What the hell happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"Hey, she can speak!" Derek tried to smile, but Casey's tears quickly took that away, "Look, just tell me what happened."

"Nothing that concerns you," Casey moved to her door but Derek hopped in front of it, blocking her entrance.

"It concerns you, it concerns me. Talk."

"Max is just a jerk. All guys are. I am stupid for thinking differently. Now if you would kindly move..."

Derek didn't know how to respond to that. Unwillingly, he moved aside. After her door shut, he headed to his own room. He was starting to wonder if he should just give up on Casey. It wasn't worth it. None of this was worth it. If he just gave up on her, he could go on with his life without her messing with it.

When there was a knock on his door, he half hoped it was her. Instead, Edwin entered.

"Dude, you and Casey have got to get it together."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Derek replied coolly.

"Uh...the fact that you two haven't spoken in two weeks. And the fact that you're crazy about her."

"Shut up, Ed!" Derek turned on him, "If you ever say that again..."

"Hear me out," Edwin begged. Derek gave in, "Listen, don't get mad at me. You aren't going to like what I have to say, but it needs to be said," Edwin cleared his throat, "You like her. I know you do. Heck, at this point I think you more-than-like her."

"That makes no sense," Derek challenged, "If I like her, why haven't I done anything about it?" He scoffed, "Ed, she's lived here for over a year now and I haven't made a move. If I liked her, I'd have had her within the first week of her being here."

"Because she's different from the other girls you've liked," Edwin folded his arms over his chest, "And that scares you."

"Who the hell gave you a psychology certificate?" Derek rolled his eyes, "I don't like Casey. I never have and I never will. And at this rate, I doubt she'll ever speak to me again anyway so what is the point? What I said last week was inexcusable."

Edwin frowned, "You can't give up."

"And why not?" Derek demanded.

"Because..." Edwin sighed, "...you love her and right now that's what she needs. Someone to love her."

Edwin made it out of Derek's room with only one bruise on his forearm from only one punch. He had gotten off easily. Derek slammed his door shut and tried not to think about what Edwin had said, but maybe the little creep had been right. Maybe Casey did need him. But if she needed him, why had she been doing just fine without him these past few days? Derek could hear the soft cries in the room next to his. Okay, so maybe she wasn't doing quite so well. Derek sighed and shook his head, he hated this. If he had his way, Derek would go into her room and demand to know what'd happened with Max. He'd tell her she deserved better and he would tell her that Max isn't worth anything but a handful of bruised knuckles. He'd tell her she needed to hold out for a better guy. A guy who was not Max.

But Derek knew he'd never tell her these things. Edwin had been right - as much as he hated to admit it. He did like Casey, a lot. Maybe he was boarding on that "love" word, but he wasn't willing to jump to that conclusion just yet. Instead, he sat down on the edge of his bed and thought over everything. He wanted to go to Casey and let her know that he was there for her, but he couldn't. Because the thought of doing so scared the crap out of him.

Instead, Derek just sat on the edge of his mattress, listening to Casey cry as Lizzie tried her best to comfort her.

_If I tried, I would just end up screwing everything up even more anyway._

* * *

That night, Derek was finishing flipping through his Sports Illustrated when there was a soft knock on his door. He glanced over at his clock. It was just after two in the morning.

"C'mon in," he called towards the door, shutting the magazine and tossing it on his night stand. He was genuinely surprised when the door creaked ipen and Casey was standing in the threshold. Derek cleared his throat and his eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "What's up, Spacey?" He worked up the courage to ask.

"I...I need you," Casey looked at him, pleadingly. Derek sighed and nodded for her to come on inside. She shut the door behind herself and made her way over to his bed. Sitting down on the edge of the mattress, she said, "Derek...I don't know where to begin. I...I'm sorry for how I've been these past weeks. It's just...what you said really hurt me."

"I'm sorry too," Derek admitted.

"Not talking to you has been awful!"

"If you're expecting me to tell you I've missed you or something stupid, you can just walk right out this room because that's not happening, Princess."

"I wouldn't expect that at all," Casey twisted a curl around her finger, "Max has been talking to his 'ex' behind my back after telling me he was done with her. I don't want to say he's cheating, but I don't have a good feeling about it at all. So I called it off."

"Max is slime."

"I'm understanding that now," a small smile crossed her face.

Derek felt his stomach knot up as he said, "You deserve better."

Casey's face lit up and she smiled, genuinely surprised by his words, "Wow, Derek. Thank you for that."

Derek shrugged, "No biggie."

"Yes biggie," Casey argued, "You don't give yourself enough credit. You may be a jerk sometimes, but you are nothing like Max, Derek. You're always there for me and I don't think you'd ever intentionally do something to really actually hurt me. You just get on my nerves. You wouldn't ever actually break my heart."

"Hey," Derek scowled, "I am a total heart breaker."

"Maybe," Casey mused, "but you wouldn't break my heart."

"And how do you know," Derek asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I just do," Casey smiled shyly.

"Wanna hear a secret?"

"Sure," Casey scooted closer, "Tell me."

"I did miss you."

"I know."

Casey stood from the mattress and walked over to give Derek a small peck on his cheek.

"Ew, dog germs!" Derek grimaced, shoving her away.

Casey laughed, "You love it," she said, making her way towards his door, "Good night, Derek."

"Night, Spacey."

When the door clicked shut, Derek fell back against his pillow. The perfume she'd been wearing lingered just a bit. Sighing, he shook his head. There was a knotting feeling in his stomach that Derek recognized as butterflies.

"Damn you, Casey," he whispered, "only you could make me nervous."


End file.
